A commitment to diversity is central to the academic mission of our department. That means providing a welcoming and supportive environment to all faculty, staff, and students coming from different cultures and circumstances, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic circumstances, sexual orientation, age, disability, and religion.
Individuals of different backgrounds contribute a broad range of perspectives that enrich the intellectual environment. The contributions of faculty and graduate students from different parts of the world enhance the department’s diversity and its strength in research and teaching.
A department whose constituency reflects society is in a better position to serve the community at large. In addition, our research and teaching will benefit from the talents of faculty and students from historically underrepresented racial, gender, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. We acknowledge that those students and faculty face unique barriers in academia, and we are committed to minimizing the impacts of such barriers through the recruitment, retention, training, and advancement of students and faculty from underrepresented groups, as well as through fostering an inclusive and supportive department culture.